The Way of the Dragon
by gekkouga
Summary: A Haxorus meets a Ninetales that was attacked while out hunting, and saves her. Not long after, the Haxorus's father, the leader of a Haxorus clan, comes searching for him for reasons unknown. Together, they must try to find out why he suddenly started looking for him- and take the clan-gone-bad down once and for all. Haxorus x Ninetales pairing in later chapters.
1. The Meeting

It was a cold, stormy day at Victory Road. A lone Haxorus walked out of the inside of the cave, and glanced around the area. It was very rocky and muddy, and it seemed like nothing else was at Victory Road.

'Wow... When was the last time it rained?' he thought. 'A long time ago... Ah well, time to look for food...' He glanced around the area, and saw nothing but rain, puddles, rocks, more rain, more puddles, and more rocks. "Nothing?" He grunted out loud. "Ah well..." He sighed, and turned around to go back in the cave.

Something on a cliff caught his eye before he could go back in, though. It was yellow, with many scars on it, and one large, deep scar on its side. 'Must have gotten on an Excadril's bad side...' He thought. 'Ah well, food is food!' He ran up the cliff and pounced on the Pokemon. It had nine tails, and the tips of the tails were a light orange color. He rose one of his claws up and it started glowing a dark purple color. Before he could attack, though, the Pokemon gave a weak cry.

"Stop..." She cried, in obvious pain. The Haxorus stopped his attack suddenly, and growled. He had seen other Pokemon beg for mercy, saying things like "Stop! I have 4 children!", but this cry was not fake. It was a real, painful cry.

"Please, stop!" The Pokemon cried again. This time, the Haxorus crawled off the Pokemon and picked her up, heading towards his home. The Pokemon was heavy, and she was in a bad state to fight, so she was easy food, but he still carried her to his den. It was considered to be a noble act to not hurt Pokemon that are already in pain in his old clan, and he followed that act. It was just the way of the Dragon. When he got into the cave, he crawled into a small hole, still carrying the half-conscious Pokemon in his arms.

The inside of the hole was a medium-sized cave, about big enough to hold 2 medium-sized Pokemon, and the front side of the cave had a water reservoir. Another small hole led into a smaller den, with leaf bedding, and it was about big enough to hold one small Pokemon.

"Here we are..." The Haxorus laid the Pokemon down on a large leaf and picked up a small Pecha berry from a rock shelf he had carved out earlier. He chewed it up and spread the Pecha berry paste onto the deep cut on the Pokemon's side, and then picked up an Oran berry, this time hanging it over her face. She let out a small ember, roasting it, then took a bite out of it. It healed her a bit, just enough so she could talk, but she still couldn't move.

"W...Why... Why did you save me...?" She croaked out weakly. "I was... going to die... Why...?"

The Haxorus leaned down and stared into her eyes. They were a deep red color, like Cheri Berries when they were at their freshest. "I did it because... You were in pain." He answered simply. "What is your name?" This time, he was the one to ask questions.

"F...Flamber... Flamber the Ninetales." She said. 'So that's what Pokemon she was!' The Haxorus thought.

"I'm Boltstrike, the Haxorus. Nice to meet you."

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><p>Woohoo! So this is the first chapter of my first story that actually has a plot to it. I've had this plot stuck in my head- Haxorus meets Ninetales and saves her- forever, and I never got around to typing it, even though I've been writing and re-writing the story in my head for weeks now. This chapter was going to be in first-person, but I decided against that. Sorry if the chapter seems a bit rushed, I was trying my best not to make it look rushed ^^; R&amp;R, I guess? I dunno what that means... But whatever! ShadowLugia out!<p> 


	2. Father

**Boltstrike's POV**

After we met, Flamber decided to stay with me for a while. She seemed to like me a bit, probably because I saved her. She still seemed a bit confused as to why I did what I did, even though I told her why. She must not have lived here long, as my previous clan was one of the most talked-about things in the whole area I lived when I was still there. But that made me think. Why was a Ninetales, as she said she was, here? I haven't ever seen one before. Either that, or I've seen one and completely forgot about it, but I doubt that happened before. I'd know if I've seen one before.

Giving her Oran Berries constantly seemed to help her state. She seemed to prefer them roasted, so I let her have them like that; If anything, it just helped enhance their effects. I'm surprised she survived if it was an Excadrill that did attack her. I had seen some nasty Excadrill attacks before, and not many survive them. I'd have to ask her later. But not now, she was too weak to put too much effort into her movement.

Suddenly, I heard loud footsteps outside. Curiously, I crouched down and crawled through the entrance hole that led to my den, and nudged away some of the leaves that guarded it. I poked part of my head out, and gasped inside at what I saw. A large, unmistakable black leg blocked most of my view, along with three threatening deep red claws. The one closest to my view was chipped off at the tip, confirming who I thought it was.

It was my father. The leader of the clan I used to be in.

Why did I leave? Well, it's simple. He- My father- started breaking his own rules. He was injuring Pokemon that were already too weak to defend themselves, not guarding the area properly, he was even hurting others that didn't follow the rules _THAT HE WAS BREAKING!_ I didn't want to stick around and risk getting hurt, even though he was my only parent and the leader of the clan. So one night, while I was still a Fraxure, I ran away and made my current den.

Undoubtedly, he was angry at me. Furious, maybe. I was supposed to be the future leader, and one night I suddenly vanished on him. But why was he here? And why now? Why didn't he come hunting for me a year ago? Or when I left, for that matter? Did he have someone else to become the leader, or did he just not care about me?

"The target doesn't seem to be here." I heard a voice say behind him. It sounded slightly angry at something. 'Target...?' I thought, but then realized. They mean me! I was just a 'Target' to him, not a 'Child', 'Son', or even 'Offspring'! It was true that he didn't care about me! I was as low as a large prey being hunted now! Raging inside, I scooted back into my den after covering up the hole I made in the leaves. I looked over at Flamber. She was sleeping, of course. She only seemed to sleep, eat and occasionally drink nowadays. Hesitantly, I nudged her awake. Even though she was hurt, this was important.

"Flamber." I whispered to her. She mumbled something about 'Boltstrike, m'sleepy' before rolling over again. Sighing, I tried again. "Flamber, this is important." I raised my voice a bit to declare how much of an emergency this is. This got a response out of her. She opened her eyes a bit before questioning what the emergency is. I told her what just happened about my father's sudden appearance. She seemed shocked.

"What can I do? I'm not good against Dragons, and in this state..." She trailed off a bit. She was still in pain, but much better now that I've been treating her. I thought about her words, and realized she was right. She really couldn't do much to them, and especially since it's just me and an injured Fire-type against Arceus knows how many Fraxures there are in the clan.

"I don't know what we're going to do." I heard my father's heavy footsteps walking away. He must not have thought I was here. "Oh, good, he's gone. Now we can talk safely." I sighed in relief. I didn't want to bother with him hearing us. "Unless we can somehow make friends with the local Pokemon around here, we're going to be unable to even scratch that clan. It's huge." I growled. Why did he have to be so power-hungry? Searching for strength, even attacking his own family to get stronger. It's not good.

She looked up at me. "Or maybe, if I get stronger some time... We can both try to attack the clan." She spoke up, and I just stared at her, surprised. Attacking the clan with just two Pokemon is just like a death wish!

"That's not an option, we'd all get crushed. We should try to befriend a Drillbur, they get very strong when they evolve. And if we want to take him down, we're going to need all the power we can have as well. Oh, that reminds me." I decided to ask Flamber the question I've been wondering now, no matter how off-topic it was. "This may be off-topic, so forgive me, but, how did you get here?" She looked startled for a bit before looking up and sighing.

I figured it was a bad time to ask, so I was about to apologize, but she started speaking. "I used to live in the region of Kanto. It's far away from here, very far, and very big. I used to live over there with my trainer, but one day while we were flying to take a trip here- Unova, it's called, my trainer told me- I must have fallen and accidentally landed here. I waited for a while, waiting for my trainer to come back, but she never did. So I decided to ask a local Pokemon, but it must have been a bad time, because it attacked me. But then you came." I listened intently, curious as how she came here. I had never heard of Kanto before, and I hadn't ever known that this place had a name. And now I knew how she got all those cuts. It really was a bad time to talk to whatever hurt her.

"Wow. You really have been through a lot... I'm sorry." I said. She smiled a bit before nodding. All that talking must have worn her out. "And it's fine if you want just you and I to try and take down the clan. You do seem strong. You'll survive." I turned around and grabbed another Oran Berry from the rock shelf. "Here." I gave it to her, and, as usual, she roasted it with a small ember. Over time, her flames did get stronger, a good sign that she was also getting stronger. But, this time, she only ate half of it. I was confused why, and almost asked her, before she spoke up once again.

"Here, you can have the other half. I'm not that hungry, and it can signify that we are partners in this." I nodded and picked it up, taking a bite out of the Oran Berry. I've never had one roasted before (Then again, I hardly ate them), and I must say, I was completely missing out on a fantastic taste. It made it a bit softer and easier to eat, and the flavor of it was greatly enhanced, and it gave it a nice roasted flavor as well. It was fantastic.

"Yes... We're certainly partners." I smiled. "To finally try and get revenge on my father."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Fwah! I haven't updated this in forever! Seriously, it was last updated last December. That's unforgivable! And since I've had the urge to write a fanfiction, I decided "Hey, self! Write the next chapter of The Way of the Dragon!". This was all made in one day, too, so sorry if it's not that fantastic ^^; I wasn't very sure how I wanted the whole "Father-betrayed-clan" thing to work out, so here's how I was planning it: Boltstrike's father was the leader of a Haxorus clan in Victory Road. However, he started breaking the clan's rules for a reason not yet known. Boltstrike ran away, as he couldn't take it anymore. So he hid away, living life alone. And just now, his father came looking for him. Boltstrike doesn't know why, but he wants to get revenge on what he did a long time ago.<br>**

**That's what it was planned to be, if you were confused! And yes, his father is a shiny Haxorus. Anyways, please review- even if you don't have much to say! ~ShadowLugia**


	3. Attacked and Separated

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon in any way, shape or form. This is just a fan story.**

**Also, this chapter contains some father/son Haxorus x Haxorus at the end. Don't like, don't read.  
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**This is now going to be rated T. K+ doesn't really fit it, I don't think.  
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><p><em> Darkness and pain.<br>_

_It was so dark. So, so dark. But it was time to leave. It hurt. It hurt a lot. But pushing on was the only option._

_ Suddenly, light. Light, but then darkness and... What was that? Something new.  
><em>

_ Something around my body and- loud. Cheering. Who was all this? It hurt more, it hurt more than it did before.  
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_ I didn't want this. I didn't WANT hurt. I squirmed around, wanting to be free, wanting to see more light, not be trapped by this darkness and-  
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_ "Boltstrike."  
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_ That was new. A voice like that never said anything-  
><em>

_ "Wake up! Hurry!" It was clearer then.  
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"BOLTSTRIKE!" I got jolted out of my sleep and dreams then. Why was I dreaming of my hatching? That was so long ago- "Boltstrike. I think they're here." Flamber whispered to me, fear in her voice. Who?

"Who?" I repeated from my thoughts. From that dream, I had a good idea who it was.

Flamber sighed a quick sigh. "Your old clan, of course! They're prowling outside our den." She flicked one of her tails in the direction. "What are we going to do? It's not like any of us can dig, and we can't stay in here; our food only goes so far. We have to confront them. I was able to look out there for a second, and I didn't see your father, so we're good in that way." I nodded. Good. When the big enemy is away, we have a better chance. "I think we can go out there safely for now. You can have as long as you'd like to try and get more alert. Going out into a battle like this when you're not fully awake isn't that great of an idea. But hurry up with it, they might break in to here." Taking in her quickly-spoken words, I muttered an 'Uh-huh' before walking to our water reserve. It was getting a bit low, but not so much that we'd be in danger of losing all of it any time soon. I splashed a bit into my face, waking me up quite a bit, before turning around.

"I'm ready." I said to her. She smiled and turned around. But before she could disappear into the tunnel-like hole connecting the outside and our den, I spoke up. "Are you sure you're ready for this? I mean, it's been a while since I've helped you start to recover, but are you certain you're ready?" Even though we've barely known each other for a month, and half of that time was just feeding her Oran Berries and occasionally treating her with Pecha Berries, I was still concerned about her. If she died here, I'd never be able to forgive myself.

She turned back around, still with the smile on her muzzle, except this time it looked more like a smirk than a smile. "You have no clue, don't you...? My trainer wasn't some novice who somehow caught a wild Ninetales to look cool. She was a fantastic trainer. I've survived near-death experiences with her before. I can handle this." And with that, she turned around and walked through the tunnel. 'She's certainly stronger than I thought...'

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><p><strong>Flamber's Point of View<strong>

'Boltstrike worries too much about me,' I thought. 'It's nice for him to be concerned every once in a while, but he's worried about me every time I try to do something. I'm just fine now! Although, I have to admit, it is kind of cute for him to worry about me like that.'

The tunnel wasn't that long. I could get to the end of it in a couple seconds. I wasn't sure if I should burn down the guarding leaves or burst through them, but I figured that he might need to use them for later, so I nudged them away before jumping out. I was greeted by three Fraxures, poking around the ground. 'What are they looking for...?' I questioned in my head. Maybe they were looking for footprints? It wasn't long before they noticed me.

"Hey! What're you doing here? Actually, what ARE you?" One of them questioned. I was about to answer before Boltstrike crawled calmly out of the tunnel and stood up.

"SHE is mine. What are YOU doing here is what I should be asking. This is my den, thank you very much." He said, surprisingly not sounding scared. He scanned the area with his eyes, seemingly searching for something, before turning back to one of the Fraxures. They were all just staring at him, surprised that he would suddenly make an entrance. I had to wonder though, what did he mean by 'mine'? Maybe he meant-

"Boltstrike. I'm disappointed in you." A deep, threatening voice suddenly spoke up from the shadows. "I raised you by my own claws, to be the second greatest ruler of this clan. My rules were perfect. Everything was organized. Then you went and ran!" The voice gradually got louder and closer, until it was clear to see that it was Boltstrike's father. I turned my head to my left to look at him, and he was clearly shocked. "Why? Everything was perfect. Everything! I gave you all you wanted, and you RAN! You stupid traitor!" He raised up an arm and lunged forwards towards Boltstrike. He instinctively jumped to the left, but so did his father's claws. He hit him right in the chest, and I gasped. Boltstrike looked up, fear and anger in his eyes. He must have known that everything he could do would be used against him, so he just sat still on the rocky-yet-smooth floor. It was clear he was hurt, but he tried not to show it, not to show a weakness- a flaw, in front of his father.

I growled at him, and that caught his attention. He must not have paid much attention to me at first, but now he was staring right at me. "Ah, got yourself a mate, did you? You know the rules. Our clan cannot have outsiders. We cannot have this... this... THING in the clan!" He kicked Boltstrike right in the face, and that knocked him out almost instantly. I watched in horror before jumping up and lunging forward at him. He called me a THING. He kicked the one who saved me right in the FACE. And it was his own son! He disgusted me. I jumped right over him and turned around quickly, before tackling him in the back and setting a paw down on his back and one on his tail.

"First off, I am not a THING. That is no way to treat your SON, either. How could you DO this?" I shouted at him, the sound echoing off the walls. I started readying a Flamethrower, before he cried out again.

"GET THEM!" Two of the Fraxures came charging at me, and I whipped my head around to see. I let loose the Flamethrower I was charging up inside before trying to jump away, but they kept running through the flames and tackled me. One of them whacked me in the head with their tusk, and I felt quite dizzy. The other one did the same thing, and that was the last thing I could feel before the world faded into black.

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><p><strong>Boltstrike's Point of View<strong>

When I finally woke up, I still couldn't see anything. Everything was so dark, and I felt like I was being pushed against a wall of some sort. I opened my mouth to speak, the words didn't come instantly and came out foggy, like I had just slept for a long time and hadn't talked. "Is anybody there?" I asked. Anyone would be fine to see, I just wanted to know if I was alone. The words echoed around the room before I heard some shifting and heavy footsteps coming towards me.

"Finally woke up, have you?" The unmistakable voice of my father spoke up. "I was wondering when you were going to. I thought I didn't hurt you that badly, but apparently I did." He growled at me. Now that he mentioned it, I realized I had a dull headache. From a blow like that, I'd have expected more pain, maybe even memory loss, but apparently not. I must have really been out cold for a while. His footsteps got closer, until he was standing right in front of me. He lifted my chin up a bit, so I could see his face. His deep red tusks looked more threatening than they ever have, I noted in my head. Maybe it was because they were practically right in front of my eyes. "I should have been more careful!" I could feel his breath on my face as he spoke.

"Father, why-" My voice was cut off by a sharp hit to my stomach. I coughed painfully, still being hurt there from however long ago it was since he found me. _'Flamber... Where is she?'_ They must have taken her away somewhere.

"Father? FATHER? You betrayed me, the whole clan! You will not call me "FATHER", understood?" His voice raised angrily, and it rung in my ears for a little while, making my headache worse.

I tried to lower my head a bit. I'd look at anything but him right now. "...You never told me your real name..." I mumbled quietly. It's true; Ever since I was born, he had told me to call him Father, and I never heard anyone say his real name, just "Master".

He raised my head back up and snapped at me. "What was that?" He asked, even though it was clearly heard.

Not wanting to take a risk of being hurt worse, I spoke up. "You never told me your real name, Fath-Er, Master." He chuckled a bit at that, which startled me.

"You blockhead, my name IS Master!" He started completely laughing at that. This was completely uncharacteristic of him. What had gotten into him? I was shocked to learn that Master WAS his name. And for all my life, I thought he was simply referred to that as a formal term. But I took this time that he was laughing to look at what was on my arms. I glanced over, and saw that both of them were restricted by a leaf chain wrapped into the rock walls. My feet were like that too. Suddenly, Master stopped laughing, and stepped closer to me. "You are completely at my mercy, you know." He didn't need to show me the chains holding me back. I already knew. "I can do whatever I want to you. I could kill you. I could torture you... But this is what I want to do." He pushed his entire body onto mine, and I whimpered softly.

"Son, you know the rules." I had to just nod. Why did he call me "Son" all of a sudden? "Why were you with that thing? You know that my most strictly upheld rule is, 'No mating outside the clan'. Did you go and break it?" I shook my head no. I hadn't even considered Flamber as more than just a friend before. "Really?" He raised a claw up and set it on my neck. I nodded yes once again. "Hmph. You have no reason to be lying, I guess. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

He turned around, and walked away. I whimpered a bit again, showing my displeasure of being left alone, but he ignored me and kept walking away. After a few lonely minutes, though, he returned and walked back to me. "Would you look at the time! It's night time." He pushed himself onto me once again. "Time to go to sleep." Suddenly, he leaned in, and kissed me on the forehead for a second. I gasped in surprise. He had never done that before. Why now?

"Good night." I didn't have any time to think about it, though, as he hit me on the head once again, knocking me out. The already dark room got darker, until my consciousness faded away and I fainted.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Oh boy, I don't know if this turned out as I wanted it. The ending part was completely not as planned. But I still kind of like this! The hatching scene in the beginning might not be that good- I clearly don't know what it's like to hatch from an egg! And whatever happened to Flamber? Well, not even I know.<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed this! ~ShadowLugia  
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